Apparatus interchangeably mounting the dividing and collecting combs of a fringe twisting machine



Oct. 20, 1970 G B. POZZOLO 3,534,538

APPARATUS INTERCHANGEABLY MOUNTING THE DIVIDING AND COLLECTING COMES OF A FRINGE TWISTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 30, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet l b) b) f3 '3 3 Oct. 20, '1970 G. B. POZZOLO APPARATUS INTERCHANGEABLY MOUNTING THE DIVIDING AND COLLECTING COMBS OF A FRINGE TWISTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet :3

Filed Aug. 30. 1967' Fig- Oct. 20, 1970 pozzo o 3,534,538

, APPARATUS INTERCHANGEABLY MOUNTING 'THE 'DIVIDING AND COLLECTING COMBS OF A FRINGE TWISTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 30, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 3,534,538 AI'PARATUS INTERCI-IANGEABLY MOUNTING THE DIVIDING AND COLLECTING COMES OF A FRINGE TWISTING MACHINE Giovanni Battista Pozzolo, Lovere, Italy, assignor to Societa Macchine per IIndustria Tessile a Milano Filed Aug. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 664,563 Claims priority, application Italy, Aug. 31, 1966, 21,855/66 Int. Cl. D0111 1/00 US. Cl. 57-1 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A series of dividing and collecting combs having a wide range of pitch, tooth height and tooth opening are interchangeably mounted in a fringing machine.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to fringing machines, and relates more particularly to new and improved apparatus in fringing machines for interchangeably mounting the combs, permitting combs of varying pitch, tooth height and tooth opening to be interchangeably mounted in the machine.

In the known fringing machines, there are provided pairs of dividing and collecting combs, whose respective functions are to divide and keep separate the bundles of threads to be fringed by twisting and, thereafter, to collect in couples the thread bundles of the first twisting operation, the latter then undergoing second twisting operation which stabilizes and thickens the fringe.

Heretofore, fringing machines, due to their weak spreading of the thread field being fringed, and to the limited fabric range for which they were designed and the limited requirements of the customers, required a particular type of dividing and collecting combs, for which pitch, tooth height and opening between teeth were already established. Consequently, it has heretofore not been possible to interchangeably replace the combs in a fringing machine with others and, further, replacement of broken combs has been long and diflicult.

At the present time, the fabrics for which fringing is requested are quite variable and the requirements of the customers are wide and changing. Thus, fringing is performed on fabrics having very different weight (for unit of area), ranging from those formed by yarns of the highest number, used for blankets, to those formed by the finest yarns used for draperies. The weave of these fabrics is also variable, double and triple weaves being frequent.

Moreover, a particular fabric often has to 'be fringed in a different way according to the requirements of the customers, considering the wide limits defined by the formation of folds on the fabric at the piecing-up of the fringe, which occurs when the pitch of the fringe exceeds a certain limit, depending on the type of the fabric, on the length of the fringe, and on the impossibility of maintaining divided the individual thread bundles, and therefore of rolling them, when the pitch is beneath a certain lower limit, the latter determined by the thickness of the fringe after the first rolling, by the load and by the width of the traverse beam rubber.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a series of dividing and collecting combs having a wide range of varying pitches, tooth heights and tooth openings, so that a corresponding Wide range of fabrics may be fringed and a wide range of fringes may be formed with a particular fabric.

United States Patent Another object of the invention is to provide, in a fringing machine, novel apparatus for interchangeably mounting the dividing and collecting combs therein easily and quickly, in order that a single machine is capable of fringing a wide range of fabrics and of forming a wide range of fringes.

Objects and advantages of the invention are set forth in part herein and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a series of fragmentary views in side elevation of four couples of dividing and collecting combs, a, a, b, b, c, c and d, a, respectively, the couples illustrating an exemplary range of combs which may be interchangeably mounted in the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a series of fragmentary views in side elevation, similar to FIG. 1, of another group of dividing and collecting combs, respectively, a, a, b, b, c, c and d, d, which may be interchangeably mounted in the apparatus of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, isometric view, illustrating the invention as preferably embodied in a fringe twisting machine having upper and lower traverse :beams which perform the twisting operation and carry the dividing and collecting combs.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated in FIG. 1a a dividing comb D having teeth 1 for a comb couple having a pitch of 5/10. Each tooth 1 has a vertical side 2, whose height is such as to insure a constant subdivision of the bundles during the twisting operation, it being unnecessary to regulate the lift of-the comb on which teeth 1 are formed. Reference numeral 3 indicates the comb tip, which, considering the substantial lift imparted to comb 8, is always such as to secure good penetration and subdivision of the threads. Advantageously, the lift of comb 8 may be adjustable. Reference numeral 4 designates the opening between two adjacent teeth of the comb, which, together with the pitch, determines the minimum distance between the threads of two adjacent fringes.

Referring now to FIG. 1a, reference numeral 1' indicates the tooth of the collecting comb c for the couple a, a. Reference numeral 2 indicates the vertical portion of the tooth side, whose height is advantageously such as to provide a support and guide to the formed fringe during the subsequent fringe threading operation.

The height of said side 2 is determined by the opening between the teeth, or the desired diameter of the fringe, taking into account that, due to wear on the traverse beam rubbers (which perform the twisting operation), the height has to be reduced little by little in order to keep the axis of the path of the threading needle in the plane of the axes of the fringes in order to secure the threading.

The height of the portion of vertical side 2' is therefore lower as a result of the shape of tip 3' of tooth 1, considering that the total height of the teeth of the collecting comb is equal to that of the corresponding teeth of the dividing comb.

Tip 3' of tooth 1' is chamfered in order to increase, being equal the height, the slope of the curved profile of the tooth in order to make easier the collecting of the cords of the first rolling or twisting operation. Reference numeral 4' indicates the opening between the teeth, said opening being related to the diameter of the fringe. The fact that the portions of side 2' of the tooth are rectilinear improves the needle guiding.

FIG. 1 (b, b, c, c, d, d) represent other exemplary couples of combs having the same features as the ones above-mentioned, but having different pitches, which are 7/14, 10/20 and 12.5/25, respectively. The combs belonging to the series shown in FIG. 1 are used advantageously when working on fabrics whose warp is not particularly thickened and on fabrics having a simple weave.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings, there is shown a series of sets of dividing and collecting combs D, C, respectively, at a, a, b, b, c, c, and d, d similar to those of FIG. 1, but drawn in greater detail. It will be seen that the openings 4", 4 between the teeth 1", 1" of these combs have, however, been increased over those of FIG. 1, and are advantageously used for fabrics whose warp threads are thickened, either because the fabric is thickened in order to present a mjor compactness or weight, or because the fabric has a double or triple weave. Obviously, whether combs belonging to the series of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 should be used is determined on the basis of the yarn being fringed.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 3, there is shown the invention as preferably embodied in a fringe twisting machine utilizing upper and lower traverse beams for twisting threads into fringes.

Referring first to the upper traverse beam, reference numeral 5 is the guiding and protective enclosure for the rubber beam 6 and two longitudinally opposed, identical sets of elements 8, 8, 9, 9' and 10, 10' which perform the function of dividing and collecting the threads being fringed. Thus, reference numerals 10, 10' designate the slot plates for driving the dividing combs 8, 8' and collecting combs 9, 9', respectively. Since each of these sets of elements operate in the same way, and in synchronization, 'only the set constituted by the elements 10', 8 and 9', which is best seen in the drawing, will be described in detail.

It will be understood that combs 8', 9, for the proper operation of the fringing machine, must not move longitudinally but only vertically. Therefore, combs 8' and 9' have mounted at their ends bars 13a and 13, respectively, entering rectangular and vertical guiding slots (not shown) formed in the inside face 5a of casing 5. In this way, the combs can only move vertically in the guiding slots, and can be removed from the bottom of the casing. Combs 8 and 9 further present fingers 24a and 24, respectively, which project into the slots a, 25 in plate 10, finger 24a of combs 8' passing through a suitable slot in comb 9, enters slot 25a, whereas finger 24 of comb 9' enters directly into slot 25. In this way, combs 8' and 9' become afiixed to plate 10'.

With the system of the two combs and plate described above, the combs would fall upon being removed from the guide slots. For preventing this, at the two ends of box 5, on the rim of its bottom, are threadedly mounted two bars 11 bearing against the lower rim of plate 10' at each of its outer ends. In this way, plate 10 and, of course, combs 8' and 9 mounted thereto, are supported and thus prevented from falling.

On the other hand, the bars 11 also act as a guide for plate 10', as the latter slides horizontally on them.

Plate 10' is also provided with a rod 27' secured thereto which, protruding from a suitable slot in the roof of box 5, is connected through a simple stud 23 with a connecting block 12, to which a similar rod 27 afiixed to the corresponding plate 10 of the opposed elements is similarly connected.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the operation of the mechanism is as follows. Upon pushing block 12 by means of any system, e.g., a pneumatic cylinder (not shown) along arrows 28, plate 10' (and also plate 10) is moved accordingly in a horizontal direction. During this motion, plate slots 25 and 25a, given their symmetrical shape (clearly shown in the drawing), cause combs 8 and 9' (and, of course, combs 8 and 9 also) to be raised and lowered, alternately, as their projecting fingers must follow the shape of the corresponding slots. More particularly, in the rest position illustrated, since finger 24 of comb 9' is in the lowest part of its slot 25, comb 9' is in its lowermost position, whereas comb 8 is in its uppermost position, having its finger 24a riding in the highest part of its slot 25a. Upon shifting of the plate with its slots to the left, finger 24 is obliged to rise, following the shape of slot 25, and, hence, causes comb 9 to rise. At the same time, finger 24a comes down, following slot 25a, and hence, comb 8' is lowered.

It will be seen that replacement of the combs with the foregoing arrangement may be easily accomplished. Thus, by removing plug 23, rod 27 and plate 10' become free of block 12 and, upon removing bars 11, each of plate 10' and combs 8', 9' become free and may be removed from the bottom of easing 5 by sliding bars 13 and 13a along their guiding slots. Once the group of elements is removed, the individual combs 8 and 9' may be removed by simply taking out their fingers from the corresponding slots of plate 10'. Combs 8 and 9 of the opposed group may be replaced in the same way.

Referring now to the lower traverse beam, there is a single group of elements comprising collecting comb 16, similarly mounted dividing combs 15 and 15', and slot plate 17 for operating the combs 15, 15', 16. The horizontal shifting of collecting comb 16 is prevented by means of two bars 20 secured at its opposite ends, which, like bars 13 and 13a of the upper traverse, enter rectangular and vertical guiding slots provided on the inside face 14a of the beam casing. Comb 16 may therefore be moved only vertically and is removed from the top of the casing.

The two dividing combs 15 and 15' are on the contrary, rigidly inter-connected by means of spacing blocks 21 passing through suitable slots 22 provided in comb 16. Spacing blocks 21, being guided by the slots 22 of comb 16 unable to move horizontally, also serve to prevent any horizontal shifting of combs 15 and 15' and to guide them in their vertical movement.

Collecting comb 16 further presents fingers 29, which pass through suitable slots 30 in comb 15 and enter slots 31 of plate 17. The two combs 15 and 15' present, in turn, fingers 32 which enter directly into slots 33 of plate 17.

Thus, combs 16, 15 and 15 are fixedly removably mounted to plate 17 and the whole group, i.e., the combs and plate 17, may be easily removed from the top of the casing by sliding bars 20 along their guiding slots. In order to prevent the group from coming out from the lower traverse 14, an elongated bar 19 is secured, advantageously by screws 34, onto the rim of traverse 14 so as to bear against the upper edge of plate 17. In this way, the bar 19 prevents plate 17 from moving vertically and also acts as a guide for the horizontal movement of plate 17.

Advantageously, plate 17 is suitably driven, similar to plates 10, 10 of the upper traverse, through the control rod 18 and connecting rod 35, in the direction of arrows 36.

It will be understood that the replacement of the combs and support plate of the lower traverse is similar to that of the upper traverse, and requires only the removal of pin 26 and bar 19.

It has been found that the aforedescribed assembling and disassembling operations have required only about ten minutes by a skilled personnel, which illustrates the quickness and easiness of the comb replacement operation.

It is obvious that the series of combs above described and shown in the accompanying drawings are only illustrative examples of the inventions provision of a range of combs having different pitches and tooth openings, in order to increase the number of types of fabric which may be fringed, as well as to vary the thickness of the fringe, for a particular fabric.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific embodiment herein shown and described but departures may be made therefrom without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:

1. In upper and lower traverse members for use in a fringe twisting machine or the like, each carrying a pair of dividing combs, a collecting comb, and a rubber-surfaced beam, all in respective opposed, vertical alignment with one another, and wherein the opposed combs serve to form the warp threads of a fabric into a series of bundles and the thread bundles are thereafter received between the opposed rubber beams under pressure and said beams are moved in opposite horizontal directions so as to twist the thread bundles into a series of fringes, the improvement therein which comprises:

a plurality of interchangeable sets of said dividing and collecting combs for said traverse members,

said plurality of sets of combs having pitch and tooth opening ratios varying over a range of values sufficient to permit a wide range of fabric weaves to be fringed and fringes of widely varying thickness to be formed in a particular fabric; and means mounting said dividing and collecting combs in said traverse members so that one of said sets may be interchanged with another of said sets.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the height of the teeth of the dividing and collecting combs increases correspondingly to the increase in pitch, whereby the penetrability and the ability to collect and guide the thread bundles in maintained throughout said range of pitch and tooth opening ratios covered by said sets of combs.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tips of the collecting combs are chamfered.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said upper and lower traverse members includes an elongated casing which houses said pair of dividing combs, said collecting comb and said rubber beam, the opposed, facing sides of the traverse housings being open so as to present uncovered the comb teeth and rubber beams, and

wherein the means interchangeably mounting said dividing and collecting combs in each of said upper and lower traverse members includes:

means operatively associating said pair of dividing combs and said collecting comb with a support plate; stud means afiixed adjacent the opposite ends of each of said dividing and collecting combs vertically slidably received in slot means provided in said traverse casing, and elongated bar means fixedly removably mounted to the open side of said traverse casing so as to extend over a portion of said opening and bear against the uncovered edge of said support plate, whereby the dividing and collecting combs may be removed from each of said upper and lower traverse members by removing said bar means and vertically sliding said support plate outwardly until it is clear of the traverse member.

5. In upper and lower traverse members for use in a fringe twisting machine or the like, including vertically opposed dividing and collecting combs for forming the warp threads of a fabric into a series of bundles which are thereafter twisted into a series of fringes, the improvement therein which comprises:

a plurality of interchangeable sets of said dividing and collecting combs for said traverse members,

said plurality of sets of combs having pitch and tooth opening ratios varying over a range of values sufficient to permit a wide range of fabric weaves to be fringed and fringes of widely varyingd thickness to be formed in a particular fabric; an means mounting said dividing and collecting combs in said traverse members so that one of said sets may be interchanged with another of said sets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2818 

